A Coming of Age

What do you start with ?

Ok so it's A and I could get all techy and boring and say A is for aperture, or I could say A is for Auto Focus which when it's good is a game changer for us, or any one of a number of boring camera words ... but actually, I'm here to talk about function photography so ... 

So lets start here with

Gander Photography Barmitzvah boy rehearses at bimahBarmitzvah boy rehearsing in synagogue A is for coming of age

A young Jewish boy becomes a man at 13 and a girl a woman at 12.  Seems young to shoulder the responsibility of adulthood when you've not had a chance to choose your GSCE options or drink a glass of wine but hey that's religion.  From the kid’s point of view, it’s about getting dressed up, reading publicly, and leading a congregation in prayer. From the adults, there are tears of pride and joy from close friends, a reason to buy a new dress for the women and good whiskey for the men.  It's nerve-racking business for a new teen and a fine reason to eat and have a good party.

Barmitzvah and Batmitzvahs come in all shapes and sizes, different themes and plenty of different styles.  What you can be sure of is that there are lots of photos to take.  I'll often take upwards of 1200 images, that need to be selected, edited and the best ones put in a book to you remember the weekend by.   The photos are the way to remember the night, show you the bits you miss and a way for the women to make sure they don't wear the same dress twice with the same group of people.